Identification of functioning, quality of life and specific problems with the ICF core set for head and neck cancer and other frequently used quality of life questionnaires in patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer and received any treatment

Objective: The aim of this sudy was to investigate functioning, quality of life and specific problems relevant to these with the ICF Core Set for Head and Neck Cancer and other frequently used quality of life questionnaires in patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer and received any treatment. Method: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out on 120 patients who were followed up with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer referring to 'Tumor Control Polyclinic' of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine within a period of 3 months. The comprehensive ICF Core Set for Head and Neck Cancer, the University of Washington-Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL), the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core Module version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Head and Neck Module (EORTC QLQ HN35) were used for evaluating patients. Results: The mean age of the participants was 61.1±11.5. The oral cavity (45.8%) and larynx (32.5%) were the most frequent anatomical site for the head and neck cancers. The most common histopathological type was squamous cell carcinoma (75%). All of the patients underwent surgical procedures for head and neck cancer. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy was reported in 37.5% and 17.5% of patients, respectively. The most impaired categories for body functions component of the ICF core set were 'Body image' (82%) and 'Emotional functions' (77%) for activities and participation component it was 'Recreation and leisure' (78%). Additionally a high rate of impairment was detected in the areas of chewing (69%), swallowing (71%), speaking (69%), handling stress and other psychological demands (74%), interpersonal interactions (57%) and community life (61%), which significantly affect quality of life. The most impaired domains of UW-QoL were speech (52.8±39.1), anxiety (57.5±22.2) and chewing (59.6±35.1). The most impaired domain of EORTC QLQ-HN35 was speech problems (43.9±38.6). A strong relationship was found between between the most impaired ICF categories and the results obtained from other scales used (p<0.001). Conclusions: The findings of our study showed that both the cancer and the treatment methods can significantly affect the quality of life and functioning in patients with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer and cause various impairments. Advances in cancer treatment and improved survival increases the need of a comprehensive assessment of the quality of life in terms of developing clinical, rehabilitation and social care protocols. The ICF core set provides sufficient information about impairments and related common problems and provides a biopsychosocial approach for assessing health status.